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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Primera Hora vs NotiCel

Primera Hora 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner NotiCel
NotiCel 4.8★ · Free to download 70

NotiCel generally offers a more reliable and up-to-date news experience, despite recent technical issues, while Primera Hora struggles with excessive advertising and perceived bias.

Full reviews: Primera Hora · NotiCel

NotiCel is praised for its speed, comprehensive coverage, and reliability, though recent updates have caused significant app performance issues. Primera Hora provides daily news for many, but users frequently complain about excessive ads, a focus on celebrity gossip, and a perceived political bias.

Head to head

Content Quality & Focus tieR3R4R10R13
Primera Hora Primera Hora is criticized for focusing too much on celebrity gossip ('farándula') and not enough on serious local or international news, with some users calling it a 'magazine de chismes' rather than a serious newspaper R3R4. There are also complaints about incomplete information and a lack of author attribution . Many users perceive a strong political bias, specifically towards the left or the PPD party R10R13.
NotiCel NotiCel is praised for its comprehensive and quick coverage of news, including details other outlets might miss R99. However, a significant number of users accuse NotiCel of being partisan, specifically leaning towards the right or the PNP party, and providing 'propaganda' rather than objective news .
Ease of Use & App Performance tieR15R21R27R35
Primera Hora Users appreciate Primera Hora's easy-to-use interface and the option to download the printed version R47. However, many report issues with excessive advertising blocking content, broken links, and photos not loading R15R21R35R49. Some also find the app annoying due to frequent review requests R27.
NotiCel NotiCel's app is generally described as fast, easy to use, and agile . However, recent updates have led to severe performance issues, with the app crashing, not loading news or images, and being slow . Some users also find the UI poor on certain devices and not user-friendly R114.
Reliability & Timeliness edge: NotiCelR5R20R24R30
Primera Hora Primera Hora is valued by many for keeping them informed daily and being updated R5R20R24R30. Users appreciate receiving news instantly and finding it well-written R50.
NotiCel NotiCel is highly praised for its timeliness, providing news as it happens and sending alerts almost immediately . Many consider it a reliable and trustworthy source of information .
Features & Functionality tieR4R35R47R66
Primera Hora Primera Hora offers the option to download the printed version, which some users find useful R47. However, users report issues with commenting functionality due to glitches R4 and the inability to see photos R35.
NotiCel NotiCel introduced a dark mode, which is appreciated by users with vision problems, and some wish for adjustable font sizes . However, there are significant complaints about the inability to upload photos from the album (only take new ones) when reporting, and issues with notification settings and location sharing without consent R66R92R94. Social media share buttons are also missing .
Price/Value tieR32R48R50R97
Primera Hora Primera Hora is appreciated for being a free news source, especially compared to paid alternatives R32R48R50.
NotiCel NotiCel is free to download, but users have requested a paid subscription option to remove the increasing number of ads R97.
Pick Primera Hora if

You prioritize a free news source that provides daily updates on Puerto Rico, even if it means tolerating excessive ads and a perceived focus on celebrity news R5R32R48. You prefer a more traditional newspaper format, as some users appreciate the option to download the printed version R47.

Pick NotiCel if

You need timely and comprehensive news alerts, and you value a source that covers details other outlets might miss . You appreciate features like dark mode and are willing to overlook recent app stability issues in hopes of future fixes .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of recent negative reviews related to app performance and content bias, which contrasts with their high lifetime ratings. For NotiCel, many recent complaints focus on app crashes and loading issues following updates. For Primera Hora, the negative reviews often highlight excessive advertising and perceived political bias.

Frequently asked

Are these apps free to use?
Yes, both Primera Hora and NotiCel are free to download and use, with Primera Hora explicitly praised for being free compared to other news sources R32R48R50.
Do these apps have a lot of ads?
Primera Hora is frequently criticized for excessive advertising that obstructs articles and broken links R15R21R49. NotiCel also has a lot of ads, leading users to request a paid, ad-free subscription option R97.
Which app is better for international news?
Neither app is strongly recommended for international news, as Primera Hora users specifically complain about a lack of good international coverage R3R33. NotiCel is primarily praised for its coverage of Puerto Rican news R99.
Can I report news with photos using these apps?
NotiCel allows users to report situations, but it has significant limitations, such as only allowing photos to be taken at the moment and not uploaded from the phone's album R66R92R94R114. Primera Hora reviews do not mention a user reporting feature.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R3] Primera Hora 3/5 · US Áreas a mejorar: He seguido PH desde que salió por internet. Lo que no me agrada es que no hay una buena cobertura de las noticias internacionales. Quiero saber más del mundo! Y por favor limiten las noticias de farándula! Dejen de repetir tanto los titulares en el dropdown.
  2. [R4] Primera Hora 2/5 · US Deben mejorar: El “periódico” parece más una revista de chismes que un diario serio. No tiene investigaciones serias a temas que afectan a la sociedad y carece de confiabilidad. También no me dejan comentar por un glitch o problema de programación.
  3. [R10] Primera Hora 1/5 · US Partidistas: Deberían de averiguar la noticia primero antes de comentar y reportar mentiras. No fue falsamente, infórmense!!!
  4. [R13] Primera Hora 1/5 · US El Pasquín de la Izquierda: Tanto este pasquín, como El Nuevo Día son vestigios de lo que antes podíamos llamar Prensa decente. Ahora lo que fomentan es toda la ridiculez Woke de la izquierda y el faranduleo barato, llamando Orgullo Boricua a basuras como Bad Bunny.
  5. [R15] Primera Hora 1/5 · US Mediocre: Lot of advertising that one can barely see the article and there’s a lot of broken links
  6. [R21] Primera Hora 1/5 · US Publicidad execiva: Publicidad execiva
  7. [R27] Primera Hora 1/5 · US Very annoying: Asking for reviews every 5 seconds, stop with that s, t.
  8. [R35] Primera Hora 1/5 · US No puedo ver las fotos: No suben las fotos
  9. [R5] Primera Hora 5/5 · US Gracias: Gracias a Primera Hora por mantenerme informado de los acontecimientos en Puerto Rico. Llevo 20 años q me mude para Huntsville, Alabama por razones de trabajo y siempre leo Primera Hora todas las mañanas antes de salir para mi trabajo.
  10. [R20] Primera Hora 5/5 · US Primera Hora: Es el primer periódico que diariamente leo. Siempre esta actualizado!
  11. [R24] Primera Hora 5/5 · US Genial: Me mantienes informado de todo.
  12. [R30] Primera Hora 5/5 · US Informative: Love that they keep me informed of latest developments.
  13. [R47] Primera Hora 5/5 · US Excelente cobertura y a tiempo: Y me gusta la opción de bajar la versión impresa. Hasta los anuncios son interesantes! Los shoppers son muy útiles. Aplicación fácil de usar. Llevo años con este app. Nunca falta en cada nuevo iPhone.
  14. [R66] NotiCel 3/5 · US No puedo escoger fotos del album.: No siempre se reportan cosas al momento, si no tengo señal o estoy de prisa, o si tengo que disimular, sería bueno tomar fotografía para luego subirlas.
  15. [R32] Primera Hora 5/5 · US ¡Espectacular!: Lo más que me gusta es que no cobra como El Nuevo Día.
  16. [R48] Primera Hora 5/5 · US PRIMERA HORA: Me encanta este periódico digital. Están al día en todas las noticias y no se les escapa ni una. Además es gratis!!!! Sigan así . Los prefiero a ustedes 👍🏼🇵🇷💯
  17. [R50] Primera Hora 5/5 · US Periódico Primera Hora: La noticia la tenemos al instante y bien redactada. Gracias a los buenos profesionales que tiene el mismo. Y pueblo está pasando por momentos críticos, y es gratis por Internet. Gracias
  18. [R97] NotiCel 4/5 · US No Ads payment alternative.: Application last update came with a lot, lot and lot of ads. Businesses profit is important, consider subscription with no ads.
  19. [R49] Primera Hora 5/5 · US Noticias: Buenas noticias pero bloqueadas por comerciaes uno tras otro y no se puede leer.
  20. [R33] Primera Hora 2/5 · US Le falta: Hace falta más noticias importantes de PR e internacionales
  21. [R99] NotiCel 5/5 · US Excelente: Me encanta la manera responsable en que nos mantienen al tanto de lo que ocurre a nivel nacional e internacional
  22. [R92] NotiCel 1/5 · US Malo: No se puede poner la fotos que están guardadas en la carpeta de fotos, tampoco cambiar de localización,y los reportes que ya esta resuelto no se pueden borrar.
  23. [R94] NotiCel 1/5 · US Clase de porquería.: No te deja añadir una foto o un video previamente previamente tomado.
  24. [R114] NotiCel 2/5 · US No es user friendly!: El concepto del app esta chevere sin embargo la interface es complicada y demasiado sobre cargada. No es facil de entender incluso para personas diestras en tecnología. El concepto de reportar casos tambn necesita ayuda. Deben permitir subir fotos previamente almacenadas y no solo tomarlas por el app. Como dije buen conceptonpero necesita un upgrade!

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store